Akangjungla
The understanding and relation of community involvement with biodiversity in the context of Naga people is enduring. Due to the customary land ownership, the concepts of community conserve area and reserved forest has always been a part of the Naga tradition and heritage. However, with the visible damage and decline in biodiversity, it has become vital to determine the community participation towards biodiversity conservation. The ancestral practice, knowledge and attitude of the community need to consider addressing the threats and importance on biodiversity.
Lately, the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Nagaland along with Wildlife Conservation Society- India and Nagaland State Biodiversity Board have been continuously conducting training and workshop on ‘combating wildlife crime and biodiversity conservation’ for forest and police personnel. In all the programmes, community participation is an important aspect being emphasised by the experts and resource speakers from the field of wildlife and biodiversity. The need for creating awareness among stakeholders for conservation of natural resources along with combating wildlife crimes is underlined by the same.
The conservation of common pool resources by the local people is what made the conservation practice in Nagaland distinctive. It is interesting to note that The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) undertook an assignment in 2013 for “carrying out an inventory and documentation of Community Conserved Areas in the entire State of Nagaland by the Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.” According to ‘Documentation of community conserved Areas of Nagaland’ by TERI, Delhi & Forest Department Nagaland has 407 documented Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) out of which 343 numbers of CCAs, which constitute 84.3% are self initiated and 62 numbers of CCAs (15.2%) are being initiated by Forest Department.
Nagaland has produced some successful stories of replenishing forest areas and protecting few endangered wildlife species with the support of community participation. With the Nagaland Forest Department taking the lead to train personnel from the police department and forest department, it will also require a greater engagement of the local communities to help protect and replenish land and forest and all its resources.
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